Scotland's economy registered no growth in the first three months of the year, official figures suggest.

Total output was flat quarter on quarter but was up 0.6 per cent on the same three month period a year earlier.

The figures from Scotland's Chief Statistician suggests growth of 0.4 per cent in the service sector, which accounts for nearly three quarters of the economy, was cancelled out by a 1.2 per cent contraction in the production sector and a 1.5 per cent contraction in construction output.

The statistics only cover activities classified to the onshore economy in Scotland, and do not include oil and gas extraction in the North Sea.

Meanwhile, latest official figures show unemployment in Scotland fell by 18,000 in the three months to May to stand at 152,000.

The latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows employment in Scotland also rose by 17,000 in the same three month period to stand at 2,625,000.

Scotland's jobless rate is currently running at 5.5 per cent compared with 4.9 per cent for the UK as a whole, and the employment rate currently stands at 74 per cent against the UK figure of 74 per cent.

Commenting on the latest figures, Scottish Minister for Business, Paul Wheelhouse, said: “While there is much to be welcomed from these figures, including 61,000 more people being employed now than at the pre-recession high point, we know that there is more that we can and must do.

"The Scottish economy has strong fundamentals, but as businesses face uncertainty during negotiations over our future relationship with the EU, we will not only work hard to protect Scotland's relationship with the EU, but will strive to make the most of current and future opportunities in our economy as set out in our economic strategy.”